PALO ALTO — A 30-year-old East Palo Alto man was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of hitting an 11-month-old baby and sexually battering a 7-year-old boy while their mother left them unattended inside a car in downtown Palo Alto, police said.
The incident was reported around 12:45 a.m. in the 100 block of Hamilton Avenue, between Alma Street and High Street, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.
The mother told officers she had left her children inside her car while she went into a nearby business her boyfriend was cleaning. When she returned roughly 10 minutes later, she found a man she did not know sitting in the driver’s seat. He was touching his exposed genitals and holding a knife to the 7-year-old boy, police said.
The mother ran back into the business to get help, and when she returned with her boyfriend, the man got out of the car and took off running. After briefly giving chase, the mother called police.
An investigation revealed the suspect had sexually battered the 7-year-old boy and hit the 11-month-old baby in the face after removing him from his car seat, police said.
The mother also later discovered her boyfriend’s wallet was missing from the car’s center console.
Around 4 a.m., officers found the suspect near the intersection of Emerson Street and Lytton Avenue. He was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County jail on charges of committing a lewd act on a minor, assault with a deadly weapon, assault with intent to commit a sex act and kidnapping with intent to commit a sex act.
The 11-month-old baby suffered minor injuries, but his mother declined further medical attention, police said.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-329-2413; those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.
